Cirrus Aircraft officially launched its new private pilot training program on Monday at the 2023 AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in convention. Designed for student pilots looking to earn their private pilot certificates, the Cirrus Private Pilot Program includes online ground school lessons and interactive simulator sessions paired with flight training provided by Cirrus standardized instructor pilots (CSIPs). Flight training takes place in Cirrus aircraft through Cirrus Training Centers (CTCs).
“Learning to fly and earning a pilot’s license is what moves the personal aviation industry forward,” said Cirrus Aircraft CEO Zean Nielsen. “From day one, our mission has been to grow engagement and participation in personal aviation, and our new Private Pilot Program makes that experience easier and smoother along the way.”
Cirrus’ Private Pilot Program includes 11 modules with 40 lessons and covers pre-study material, ground instruction lessons, flight instruction videos, performance assessments and quizzes. The company noted that the program focuses on learning to fly an SR Series aircraft. Enrollment cost is $1,200.
Sales propaganda aimed at those wealthy enough to pop for a nearly million dollar airplane and then have enough cash flow to pay for it’s operation and maintenance. This promo promotes the fantasy that learning to fly and flying oneself “wherever and whenever” one wants is actually something one can do as easily as driving a car. The fantasy being “it’s my 3 mile a minute” getaway to my ski lodge or lake home”. Yeah, right! And parachute or not, the accident record of these planes doesn’t match the fantasy. Reality ain’t that pretty.
@Rich K — While I don’t disagree with you, I think anything that helps bring more people into general aviation could be good for general aviation as a whole.
How is this any different that training in a Cirrus at any other flight school? Don’t all instructors in Cirrus aircraft effectively have to be CSIPs anyway?
Agree. I think in most if not all cases, insurance coverage will require flight training with a CSIP instructor, which should be able to be done in the field (at or not far from where the pilot is based). This program just appears to be a new opportunity for Cirrus to expand their business, just like anyone else who opens a flight school or any company which wants to increase its earnings.
It’s unfortunate but this might very well be the future…there is a “Cirrus” center nearby and it’s busier than you would think at the rates they are charging..the sad part is the “Cirrus” is just a mode of transportation to this “group”. They could care less if it was a Columbia or a Meridian… it’s just a “transport-er”
They never spend any time “with” the airplane …andnit really destroys the atmosphere of the airport when the hangars are JUST a place to house “transportation”.
slate grey and white paint on the saaaaaaame old buildings…
Audience fatigue in advertising.
Please tell me these are regular schools that joined into a Cirrus program and that the ChiComs aren’t opening flight schools in the US.
As for the wealth of the new pilots, GA needs more pilots that can buy new planes. Take’m how you can get them. (Assuming they are being taught how to land the plane).
“Welcome back to EAA Air Venture everyone!” G7? Nope, failed timeline. New colors? Nope, same old catalogue. “But look everyone! We invented something called the private pilot syllabus! It can be yours for $1200.00! Now on to squandering our lifelong partnered training centers and establishing our own foothold in their territory!” What ratings does the CEO hold BTW? That’s it? some fancy videos starring the same old underpaid characters and animations I can find on Bold Method…for free? This company will try anything to alter the narrative of OUR sacred GA in their favor. Lipstick on the same old pig…for $1200. Seems proportionately correct, considering the mark up. No old Eric, the “ChiCOms” aren’t opening flight schools, their puppet brand name is.
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So a belligerent foreign power who bought up most of our GA plane manufacturers and plenty of related companies in order to get the technology which they have now put to use in military drone manufacturing, is now planning to set up a network of “flight schools” around the United States where they will maintain small fleets of aircraft?
Now, I’m rather well educated on the limitations of using light aircraft to deliver weapons payloads as well as the challenges of protecting against such attacks. Frankly, I’d be more concerned if they bought up U-Haul. Still, this is somehow getting through our security theater…er, policies?
Finally, let’s not forget the balloon fiasco. Who’s going to watch to keep their fleet from becoming spy assets?
I suppose this is all my own fault. I’ve been telling the manufacturers to create their own flight school networks to sell their own planes for a couple decades. This isn’t exactly what I was talking about. Be careful what you ask for, lol.
Yes, I’m a dinosaur, but still… learning “Why It’s Doing That” at 80kt, or 60, beats learning at some multiple of that speed. PP learning should also include looking outside the window A LOT, which is not engendered by a Cirrus glass cockpit. And unless they are including full-motion simulators for your $1K, there are things you really should experience in an airplane which I wouldn’t try in a Cirrus.
Ask Asiana Airlines what happens when you skip the basic airmanship chapter.
Agreed. Give me 10 Cirrus “factory” CSIP instructors at random, or even 10 Ab Initio school instructors at random, I will show you 5 who cannot land correctly, or hand fly instruments correctly, or even speak correctly on the radio. Stick and rudder? What’s that? “Look insurance company, I did my required training. Can I go to Aspen now?” Where is the policing of such basic atrocities? I see/hear it everyday here in South Florida, flat/side loaded landings and gibberish over the radio. That is necessary and expected of the student pilot populous, however, once one is “rated”, of what much is given, much is expected. Its worse than ever.